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The Dukes of Hazzard (film)
2005 film by Jay Chandrasekhar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 American action comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by John O'Brien. Loosely based on the 1979–1985 television series of the same name, the film stars Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson in her feature film debut, Burt Reynolds, Joe Don Baker, Lynda Carter, and Willie Nelson. The story follows cousins Bo and Luke Duke as they, along with their cousin Daisy and Uncle Jesse, try to prevent the corrupt Hazzard County Commissioner Boss Hogg from seizing their family farm.
The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 5, 2005, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It opened to strong box office numbers, debuting with $30 million and eventually grossing $109.8 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $50 million. Despite its financial success, the film received generally negative reviews from critics.
It was followed by a direct-to-video standalone prequel, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, released in 2007.
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Plot
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In Hazzard County, Georgia, cousins Bo, Luke, and Daisy Duke run a moonshine business for their Uncle Jesse. Their main mode of transportation is an orange 1969 Dodge Charger nicknamed the "General Lee". They regularly clash with the corrupt county commissioner, Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg, and the bumbling henchman, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
While making a delivery, Bo and Luke are pursued after Luke is found with a customer's sister. The General Lee gets stuck at a construction site. At the Boar's Nest bar, they encounter Billy Prickett, a professional race car driver and four-time winner of the Hazzard County Rally. A brawl with Prickett's crew is broken up by Rosco, who informs them their car was towed and vandalized. Rosco plants a fake moonshine still on the Duke farm and seizes the property under eminent domain. The family temporarily moves in with their neighbor Pauline, who informs them that Rosco has also seized other farms.
Bo and Luke investigate a construction site and find a map marking the seized properties and a locked safe, which they bring to their friend Sheev. With his help, they open the safe and discover geologic core samples. Cooter and his crew rebuild and modify the General Lee to prevent it from being impounded, allowing Bo and Luke to travel to Atlanta.
At a university lab, they meet Katie-Lynn Johnson and learn that the core samples indicate Boss Hogg's plan to strip mine the county. They are arrested before they can return to Hazzard. Hogg informs them that a vote on his mining proposal will take place during the rally, with Prickett as the main attraction. Daisy helps Bo and Luke escape custody, and they evade law enforcement on their way back.
Upon returning, they learn that Uncle Jesse and Pauline have been taken hostage. Bo and Luke create a diversion while Daisy and Cooter carry out the rescue. Katie-Lynn and Sheev attempt to inform the public at the rally, but their warnings go unheeded. Bo wins the rally and drives the crowd to the courthouse, where the proposal is ultimately rejected.
Hogg attempts to have Bo and Luke arrested again, but Daisy convinces the Governor of Georgia to issue them a pardon in front of television cameras. A large cookout takes place at the Duke farm with the townspeople in attendance.
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Cast
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- Johnny Knoxville as Luke Duke
- Seann William Scott as Bo Duke
- Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke
- Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg
- Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse Duke
- David Koechner as Cooter Davenport
- M. C. Gainey as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane
- Michael Weston as Deputy Enos Strate
- Lynda Carter as Pauline Powers
- James Roday Rodriguez as Billy Prickett
- Kevin Heffernan as Derek "Sheev" Sheevington
- Nikki Griffin as Katie-Lynn Johnson
- Jacqui Maxwell as Annette[3]
- Alice Greczyn as Laurie Pullman
- Junior Brown as The Balladeer (narrator)
- Joe Don Baker as Governor Jim Applewhite
- Barry Corbin as Bill Pullman
- Andrew Prine as Angry Man
- Brendan Schetter as Random Stoner
- Michael Roof as Dil Driscoll
Cameos
All five members of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe appear in The Dukes of Hazzard. Kevin Heffernan has a supporting role as Sheev, while the other four appear in cameo roles:
- Steve Lemme appears as Jimmy, the son of Bill Pullman's character, who accidentally discharges a firearm inside his father's truck during a chase.
- Jay Chandrasekhar and Erik Stolhanske reprise their roles as Ramathorn and Rabbit from Super Troopers (2001), now portrayed as campus police officers who briefly stop the Duke cousins for driving too slowly.
- Paul Soter plays Rick Shakely, a television news reporter covering the Hazzard Road Rally.
Other notable cameos include:
- Charlie Finn appears as Royce Wilson, a geology student who assists the Dukes in analyzing coal samples.
- A. J. Foyt IV, who appears as himself during the Boar's Nest bar fight scene.[4]
- Rip Taylor, who appears during the end credits blooper reel, interrupting a scene between Luke and two college students.
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Production
Stunts
Johnny Knoxville initially hesitated to join the cast but was ultimately persuaded by revisions to the script and the involvement of Dan Bradley as the stunt coordinator and second unit director for the film's car chase sequences. Knoxville credited Bradley's expertise, stating that "everyone in Hollywood wants Dan Bradley to shoot their car stuff."[5]
Locations
Principal photography began on November 15, 2004, and concluded in February 2005.[6] Most of the film was shot on location in Louisiana, with scenes filmed in and around Clinton and French Settlement. Boar's Nest bar was portrayed by the Moonlight Inn in French Settlement. Although the street scenes are set in Atlanta, they were filmed in the Central Business District of New Orleans. University scenes were filmed on the campus of Louisiana State University.
Differences from source material
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In the original television series, Bo and Luke Duke were on probation for running moonshine, and their Uncle Jesse had agreed to give up the trade to keep them out of prison. A major limitation of their probation was their inability to leave Hazzard County without permission from their probation officer, typically Boss Hogg. For instance, in the episode "Dead and Alive", the Balladeer notes that Bo and Luke required special permission to cross the county line. In contrast, the 2005 film depicts the Dukes as still actively producing and distributing moonshine, and Bo and Luke travel freely, including a trip to Atlanta, without any mention of legal restrictions.
The portrayals of Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane differ significantly between the two versions. In the series, Boss Hogg, while corrupt and greedy, avoided violence and would often abandon schemes that could harm others. Sheriff Rosco was played primarily for comic relief as a bumbling figure. For example, in the episode "Danger on the Hazzard Express", Boss Hogg is appalled by a plan that involves violence, stating he does not condone such actions. In the film, both characters are depicted as more threatening and serious; Boss Hogg is shown orchestrating schemes that include taking Uncle Jesse and a neighbor, Pauline, hostage, and even having a prisoner knocked unconscious.
The General Lee's presentation also changes between the versions. In the series, the car immediately appears with its full iconic look — bright orange paint, the Confederate flag on the roof, "01" on the doors, and "General Lee" above the windows. In the film, the car initially lacks many of these elements, including a faded design and the absence of the flag and name. After it is vandalized, Cooter restores it to the familiar style recognized from the series.[7]
Another noticeable change lies in the size of the local law enforcement. The original series typically featured a small sheriff's department with Rosco and one deputy (usually Enos or Cletus). The 2005 film portrays a much larger and more militarized police presence, with multiple officers and vehicles participating in various pursuits.
Character backstories also differ. In the television series, Luke Duke is established as a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant, a detail that occasionally factors into episodes. This background is not referenced in the film. Conversely, the film adds new details, such as identifying Uncle Jesse as a Korean War veteran — a characterization not present in the original series.[8]
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Reception
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Box office
The Dukes of Hazzard debuted at number one at the U.S. box office, grossing $30.7 million across 3,785 screens during its opening weekend.[9] It ranked 24th in all-time August openings when adjusted for inflation.[10] The film ultimately grossed $109.8 million worldwide, though it underperformed internationally compared to its domestic earnings.[2]
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 14% based on 168 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "A dumb, goofy, and vacuous adaptation of a TV show where plot is simply an excuse to string together the car chases."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 33 out of 100 based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a "B+" grade on an A+ to F scale.[13] Fans of the original television series were generally critical of the adaptation.[14]
Roger Ebert awarded the film one star, describing it as a "lame-brained, outdated wheeze," and questioned Burt Reynolds' participation as a karmic continuation of Smokey and the Bandit (1977).[15] Ebert named it the second-worst film of 2005, while Richard Roeper listed it as the year's worst.[16] Ebert later included it in his list of most hated films.[17]
In contrast, Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B+ rating, writing: "It's trash, all right, but perfectly skewed trash — a comedy that knows just how smart to be about just how dumb it is."[18]
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Accolades
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Soundtrack
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Jessica Simpson's rendition of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" was released as the lead single from the 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack. Co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the track features significant lyrical and musical modifications to align with Simpson's portrayal of Daisy Duke in the movie. Notably, Simpson introduced a new bridge and a spoken-word breakdown, infusing the song with country and hip-hop elements.
The accompanying music video, directed by Brett Ratner, garnered attention for its provocative imagery, including scenes of Simpson washing the General Lee car in a bikini. This portrayal sparked controversy due to its overt sexual content.[24]
Commercially, the single achieved considerable success, peaking at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earning a Gold certification from the RIAA for over 500,000 digital downloads. Internationally, it reached number 2 in both Australia and Ireland, and secured a spot in the top 5 in the UK.
In addition to Simpson's track, the film's soundtrack features two versions of "Black Betty": the original by Ram Jam and a cover by Spiderbait. AC/DC's "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and "Shoot to Thrill" are also included, contributing to the movie's energetic musical backdrop.[25]
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Controversies
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Prior to the film's release, Warner Bros. reportedly paid $17.5 million to the producer of Moonrunners, the 1975 film that inspired the original television series The Dukes of Hazzard.[26] Screenwriter Gy Waldron, who created the original series, also filed a claim regarding the new adaptation.[citation needed] In July 2011, The Hollywood Reporter stated that James Best, who played Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the original series, filed a lawsuit over unpaid royalties, alleging contractual rights to compensation for spinoffs that used his likeness.[27]
Ben Jones, who portrayed Cooter Davenport in the television series, publicly criticized the film for its focus on sexual content, arguing that it strayed from the more family-friendly tone of the original show.[28] He called for fans to boycott the film unless changes were made prior to its release. Others responded that the original series also contained sexualized elements, notably Catherine Bach's portrayal of Daisy Duke, whose revealing outfits popularized the term "Daisy Dukes" for denim cutoffs. A New York Daily News review described the film's humor as "cruder" than the television series, but stated that it maintained a similar tone in its depiction of Daisy Duke.[29]
John Schneider, who originally played Bo Duke, initially expressed appreciation for the updated portrayal of Bo and Luke's relationship in the film. However, he later described the film as "terrible," stating, "It wasn't Dukes. It was true to whatever it was; I just don't know what that was."[30] Schneider has also claimed that Johnny Knoxville apologized to him at the premiere and questioned why television networks were willing to broadcast the film while avoiding reruns of the original series.[citation needed]
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Notes
- Credited in the closing credits as "Jumbulingam"[1]
References
External links
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